VoiceQuilt Newsletter, Fall 2006: Electronic VoiceQuilt delivered to Iraq

Marissa shared an electronic VoiceQuilt with her husband in Iraq. She later wrote about her experience for the Grifffon, a military newspaper published in the interest of the 108th Division – Institutional Training – U.S. Army Reserve.

The following is a reprint of her editorial, with the permission of Marissa and our friends at The Griffon 108.

Communication is the thread that keeps a relationship strung together. Whether it is verbal or non verbal, face-to-face or through email, voice mail, or video, communication is essential to keeping a relationship strong and binding. But there have been times in my life when I wish I was able to communicate better with my husband Mike, but have been unable to.

Being a military wife for four years now, I have been through two deployments to Iraq, and am currently on our third. My husband, Mike, not only left me this time, but our infant son, Michael Jr., as well. At 13 months old, Michael Jr knows his father – he says his name and runs for him with open arms. I get the privilege of getting to hear Michael Jr’s voice every day and seeing his radiant smile, while my husband misses out on communicating with his son.

But not long after Mike left for Iraq, a new service called VoiceQuilt came into my life. VoiceQuilt offers my husband an opportunity to hear our voices anytime, day or night, through the use of a computer. All I have to do is call an 800 number and record messages for my husband. The service is quite easy to use through simple step-by step directions and user-friendly web pages. It not only gives Michael Jr and I the opportunity to leave messages for my husband, but we can also invite family and friends to call in and leave messages of hope and encouragement for Mike as he deals with the stress of war. All my husband has to do is click on a link online and he can listen to all of these messages over and over again. He now has the opportunity to hear my son say "Dada," listen to his laugh, and be with us step by step as Michael Jr goes through so many changes. I get to keep him updated on the day to day happenings on our lives, and it keeps him connected to us, even though he is miles away.

VoiceQuilt has given us the chance to keep communication at our fingertips and keep out family strung together.

Editor’s Note: Marissa told us that Mike was “overwhelmed” by the number of friends calling in from around the country. She plans to do another VoiceQuilt in February.

The Griffon is a national, award-winning quarterly military publication of the 108th Division of the U.S. Army Reserve, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, visit them here.